Unfinished Games of 2021: Part I

Unfinished Games: 

Unfinished Games of 2020: Part II

Unfinished Games of 2021: Part I

Unfinished Games of 2021: Part II

More than halfway through 2021, it's time to consider the games that will never receive a full review on Awkward Mixture.

These are not necessarily inferior games. The most common cause of abandonment is a packed schedule combined with a disconnect between the designer and the reviewer. Another reason is a misrepresentation by the designer, or the reviewer misunderstanding standing the game based on descriptions and trailers. Or my kids wanted me to play a game, only to discover we didn't enjoy it.

Westerados:

Time Played: 46 Minutes I can hear the readers' exclamations of disbelief, “You finish a 2 ½ hour game?” Writing those words almost inspires me to add onto my 46 minutes. But, this stylized Western, with single shot pistol duels and herds of buffalo, didn't knock my hat off like it promised. Random events sidetracked the hero from his quest to avenge the murder of his family. Exploring a surprisingly robust open world (the player can kill anyone without breaking the game), the protagonist collects clues about the murderer, in the hopes of identifying them for a bullet in the brain. The developer combined grave charisma, with silly interludes, like the references to hat protection (hats are hits). Its lack of visual distinction, and leads on the murderer, left me lacking the will to saddle up.

Due Process:
Time Played: 2.9 Hours

After my group of friends found Early Access successes like Deep Rock Galactic and Phasmophobia, we were bound to encounter at least one flop. A few of us purchased Due Process during the pandemic, but it didn't pan out. It didn't engage us, nor the populace at large; the player peak was 1,568 in the first month of its release (September 2020), and only averaged 75 players a day during July 2021. Due Process tried to remix Rainbow Six Siege, by randomly generating the base every match. But this innovation couldn't compensate for the lack of variety in other aspects, like the weapons or characters. The graphics had style, but so many games do today, that they didn't elevate it. The best part; the planning phase with four random people, could go either way as players insulted each other, remained silent, or planned an excellent assault/defense while reviewing the unique map. Combat was quick, death nearly instantaneous. Due Process didn't display any stats, so I couldn't tell if I hit people, or how I died. And that killed the game for me.

LEGO® Lord of the Rings™:

Time Played: 5.2 Hours I vaguely remember sitting in the Umass Game Hobbyist League room in the Student Union watching someone play one of the LEGO video games (it must have been the newly released Lego Star Wars), and thinking, I would never play that, it looks super boring. Fifteen years later I tried LEGO Lord of the Rings under pressure from my progeny. It was a strange experience.

It feels almost like a movie. The overuse of material from the 2001-2003 movie series encourages this perception. LEGO LOTR isn't based on the works of Tolkien, but on the cinematics of Peter Jackson (mixed with Charlie Chaplin or . Many scenes are replayed, word for word, visual effect for visual effect, from the movies. The only difference; they are composed of LEGOs. So much of the sound and dialogue is clipped from the movies as well. The only significant difference, which I assume is true of all LEGO adaptations, is the change the tone. Everything is humorous, in a silly, slapstick style. For example, when Sauron dies in battle against Elendil (spoilers?), his helmet crushes a nearby orc. Or Frodo heats up the One Ring by dropping it into his hot tea, instead of the fire. Even Boromir's death is strangely, and I would say, disturbingly humorized (an orc kills him with a banana). But then LEGO LOTR plays the wrenching, pathos laden dialogue from Borimir's death in the movie, rendering the scene jarringly discordant.

When not watching LEGOized scenes from a twenty year old movie, players are either exploring, solving puzzles, or fighting. Each of the characters wields a tool or ability that allows them to perform a special action. These are used to solve simple puzzles. More characters join the fellowship, or are unlocked as the player progresses. Combat is difficult and easy at the same time, making it tiresome. It's difficult because the player has only one or two simple attack options. Hordes of enemies deal damage, and the player has only four health. But most enemies drop health, and if you lose all four hits, your character immediately respawns, dropping some of the in-game cash on the floor.

Cash and exploring is used to unlock an almost infinite amount of collectibles and characters.

Returning to combat, the developer forces the player to engage in one of the most tiresome exercises. They demand the player play to win battles that they lose in the cinematic, like Elendil vs. Sauron and Gandalf against Sauroman.

At least the LEGO LOTR doesn't make the player engage in a flirtation between an Elf and a Dwarf.

Crawl:

Time Played: 4.9 HoursCrawl is a game that deserves a better spot than the last paragraph on an unfinished games list. I've played it on and off over the past couple years. I have five hours, but I've conceded I'm never going to play it consistently enough for a whole review. It's a multiplayer game, where four people control adventurers gone mad in a dungeon. Then one stabs the others, starting a demented quest to challenge a eldritch horror. In the deep gloom, the three murdered comrades bide their time as phantoms, while the “hero” explores the dungeon. Each room contains traps and treasure, and ritual circles. The player controlled phantoms incorporate through the circles, becoming hideous monsters. Monsters trap the human in the room. Only after the human hero defeats the monsters can they explore further. The hero ventures deeper, easing down staircases and exploring shops. Crawl includes an abominable twist. When the hero dies, which is inevitable with all the threats, the Phantom player who lands the killing blow reincarnates as the new hero. The previous hero joins the other phantoms. The hero nears their objective by reaching level ten (in experience, not depth of the dungeon), after which they can challenge the horror lurking in the dungeon's pit. The boss is controlled by the Phantom Players. Crawl is a great game of player interaction, where the threats facing the protagonist are always the other players. Strongly recommended for four friends playing on the same computer. It also has a lot of unlockable content: more dungeons, weapons, and monsters.

Recent:

The Saviors of Western Civilization

Relevant:

Football, Tactics & Glory: A Team History

Unfinished Games of 2020: Part II

Hades: An Olympian Feat of Remaking Greek Mythology